by Cheryl
On March,31,1999 I made my weekly visit to the local pet store. I followed my regular route right to the rattie cages. I love rats!!! I already owned well over 40 rats therefore I had no intention of bringing home anymore. Someone or something had other plans for me. Little did I know but I was about to meet my " soul mate".
As I opened this rather large octagon bin, all the wee babies huddled at the sides,all except for this little, teeny, blond, fuzzy 3 week old baby. He was sitting in this very large food bowl munching on a piece of corn. He looked up at me as if to say " Who are you and how dare you bug me ? " This was odd behavior as baby rats are normally very nervous in a pet store as they are usually mass produced and not handled a lot. I put my hand into the cage and this fuzzball, with corn in his mouth, bounced(and I mean literally bounced) into my hands. I was shocked. I picked him up and kissed his little nose and , dropping his corn, he licked me back. I took him home and named him Snudge.
I had him approximately 3 days and noticed he had lice. Yuck!!! It was Easter long weekend, nothing was open and I hate BUGS!!! He was confined to his cage for two days. He was quite upset and would not even look at me. I was starting to think that this was not really a rat. He acted more like a spoiled child.Two days later his buggies were well on there way to where ever bug souls go and I was back in his good graces again. Snudge hated all rats! He only liked my dogs. Because of this he had to live alone. I worried as rats are very social and can become depressed and lonely. I need not have worried. Snudge had no intention of being alone. We were inseparable. He shared my meals(whether I wanted him to or not), we napped together,he ran the floors and terrorized my dogs, he stole my toothbrush and every toothpaste cover he could find, he sat on the tub while I bathed, he followed me whereever I went. I thought I could put him on the sofa while I did household chores but he would jump off and look for me. He would put his little paws on my leg and wiggle his bottom like a child as if to say " Uppy Mommy, Uppy".
This dear soul was my best friend.He even came shopping with me on a harness and leash. Rats have a very sensitive respiratory system and are prone to many infections. Snudge was not. He was never sick a day in his life so one day when I went to get him and he didn't jump up, a light went off in my mind and I called the doctor. His back legs were weak. He had no other symptoms so we chalked it up to the fact that he was getting old ( rats only live approx 2 years ). Snudge was 21 months old at this time. About a week later he wouldn't eat his froot loops. This terrified me! Snudge would do tricks for a froot loop.Off to the vet we went. We put him on antibiotics and I brought him home. I hand fed him and made a bed on the floor for us so he would not fall off the sofa. He was very weak. After about 3 days he began to slowly follow me around again. I was elated!! I took him back to the vet for a recheck. When we got home, my son took him down on his bed while I made his food. A few minutes later my son yelled and said Snudge seemed better as he was wandering around. I went down and Snudge almost jumped into my hands. I took him out to his pillow on the sofa and I sat beside him. I laid my hand beside him and he pulled himself over and laid his dear little head and two little paws on my hand and looked up at me. I bent down and kissed his sweet face and told him how much I loved him. He was still looking at me when he suddenly just stoped breathing. His heart stopped just like that.
I can never begin to explain how I felt at that moment. A piece of me died at that moment. I spend every day looking for a way to make sense of this. The diagnosis was congenital heart failure so I know there was nothing I could do to save him but I can't shake this lonely, empty feeling I have inside.Snudge was and always will be the light in my life and I pray as time passes this grief will become easier to bear. I have many other animals and they are all extremely special to me. Snudge was my special gift and I believe he was given to me for a reason.
Dearest Snudge, I will watch for the Rainbow.
In Memory of my Snudge ( March,3,1999- December,14,2000 )